Facebook connects offline with new branded gift card

Our take: Facebook recently announced that it will offer an offline giftcard that users can buy for friends. Tomio Geron from Forbes writes about the positive impact the card could have on Facebook.

"In an expansion of Facebook's Gifts service, Facebook is launching a new reusable offline gift card called Facebook Card.

"People can buy the gift cards for friends from Facebook.com and choose from brands such as Jamba Juice, Olive Garden, Sephora and Target. (These are the first four partners using the service.) Recipients will receive the cards in the mail and can use them at the relevant retailer.

"The cards are reusable, so that whenever someone receives 'gift cards' through Facebook, they will be redeemable on the Facebook Card. The card can hold multiple gifts on the same card. Facebook isn't disclosing the revenue share on the service.

"This new gift card service is more about stored value, which is seemingly low-hanging fruit for Facebook compared to the work of actually shipping physical products. This also gives Facebook another connection to large brands, which is a plus as the company seeks to bring in more large brands to Facebook advertising."

Read more about Facebook's giftcards on Forbes.